The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for skinning small to medium game, particularly squirrel. Squirrel is a common name applied to members of the rodent family Sciuridae, classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Rodentia, suborder Sciuromorpha.
Squirrels and other small mammals must be skinned in order to obtain the meat, or product, therein. Traditionally, a squirrel is placed on the ground and the head is secured with a free hand, while the other hand attempts to make incisions to remove the skin. The body of the squirrel is free to move as incisions are made to remove the skin, and often requires a foot, or another person, to be used to further stabilize the game by securing the tail or posterior. Bending and folding over, while using three limbs, is a cumbersome process, and skinning the game on the ground risks soiling the meat when introduced to the ground.
Alternatively, the head of the squirrel may be secured by nailing it to a stationary object, such as a board or tree. Unfortunately, when utilizing this method, a portion of the squirrel is concealed, as it is positioned against the stationary object. This, in turn, requires additional handling and repositioning to remove the skin. Skinning a squirrel is challenging, as it must be properly secured to provide both stability and tension to the squirrel, which allows for more precise, safe, and effective incisions. Often, the squirrel slides along the nail or attachment points as incisions are being made, thus rendering the exercise more fraught with danger and inconvenience.
Obvious downsides exist in the current method of skinning squirrel, as are described above. The consequences of these skinning methods are increased injuries associated with the skinning, reduced productivity, and a poorly executed skin removal, all of which lead to an increased need for a revised method and apparatus with minimized cost and complexity, which the present invention addresses.
The present invention of a skinning apparatus and method is thus a much-improved mode of handling the skinning process, since it enables a person seeking to skin squirrel the ability to skin the animal while it remains fixed in a comfortable location, freeing up a hand to provide additional support and work. Utilizing the current invention, the entire process can be accomplished in a safe and effective manner, without repositioning the animal from its initial position.